The Dance Hall 13: When You Dance on the Ice and Your Feet Twizzle Twice, That's Amore

[angi]

 

[jmtfti]

This has just reached new depths of pathetic, including the part when Piper or her husband used their dog's Instagram account to support G/P's honor in the comments. Never have I seen a single team who has received more than their share of gifts over the years -- including all the way back to their first national-only season together -- whinge this much over a single marginally questionable midseason competition outcome.

 

[Ice_dance_fan]

I am so happy that Piper say truth. IAM take a money from Russian main figure skating coach for womens, IAM support Sorensen also after disqualificiation, but don't support female figure skater from Estonia who trained in IAM and becomes rapped, IAM showed 0 emotional support after Gabi made abortion.

 

[Ice_dance_fan]

This has just reached new depths of pathetic, including the part when Piper or her husband used their dog's Instagram account to support G/P's honor in the comments. Never have I seen a single team who has received more than their share of gifts over the years -- including all the way back to their first national-only season together -- whinge this much over a single marginally questionable midseason competition outcome.

They GOEs changed until last seconds of they program

 

[Karen-W]

They GOEs changed until last seconds of they program

Have you ever watched the TES tracker during ANY figure skating program? The GOE changes all the time, up & down, as different judges input their marks. Some are slower than others; and sometimes the GOE has to change based on the tech panel reviews.

GilPoir lost by .06 - which amounts to one judge giving them 1 less point on GOE on 1 element or .25 less on one PCS mark. A different judging panel and they may very well come out ahead of FearGib by .06 or even greater. Or not. It could come down to skating order, especially in the FD.

But, right now, Piper's doing herself & her team no good by fixating on IAM or how another team was scored. What they should be focusing on is their own marks and asking themselves why they aren't getting the GOE or PCS to put them in contention for gold rather than fighting for bronze. Fixing that ugly lift at the end of their program into something more aesthetically pleasing would probably bump their GOE up enough alone to put them ahead of FearGib, but it would also probably help bump their PCS up too as that lift is the last impression they leave the judges with. Why leave them thinking "well, that was awkward & unwieldy"?

 

[Vagabond]

Has @esta been reincarnated?

 

[CassAgain]

Imagine if they put as much energy into creating new and better programs...

 

[kwanfan1818]

I think Gilles/Poirier have had their share of lovely and innovative programs over the years, much more so than most teams.

Ironically, even before Stepanova/Bukin "invented" the telegenic and judge-focused choreo step sequence, Gilles/Poirier's telegenic and judge-friendly Hitchcock program is what the ISU seems to be looking for now. I wish if they were going to repeat, they would have adapted that program, now that she could skate it, and they had years of experience together, but I don't begrudge a mature team in their last Olympics choosing Vincent, however much I'm meh about it.

 

[CassAgain]

I think Gilles/Poirier have had their share of lovely and innovative programs over the years, much more so than most teams.

I totally agree, which is why I am baffled that they didn't come up with something new for this Olympic (and perhaps final) year. What a missed opportunity. They have also had a few misses, most notably their 80s rhythm dance from 2024 that held them back all season, including the Worlds in Montreal they should have won if they scored higher on that segment.

 

[Ice_dance_fan]

I totally agree, which is why I am baffled that they didn't come up with something new for this Olympic (and perhaps final) year. What a missed opportunity. They have also had a few misses, most notably their 80s rhythm dance from 2024 that held them back all season, including the Worlds in Montreal they should have won if they scored higher on that segment.

Possible they wanted end they carrier with FD that they have important?

 

[Wyliefan]

They seem to be getting a lot of support online from fans, which is probably encouraging them. But still, they really, really should not be doing this.

Agree about the Hitchcock program -- that would have been perfect to bring back!

 

[BittyBug]

Possible they wanted end they carrier with FD that they have important?

That's a perfectly valid choice, but if one prioritizes sentiment over maximizing scoring potential, then don't complain about the results.

 

[PRlady]

I remember, believe it or not, back at the late 2014 GPF when G/P first made it there, and someone here commented with deep irony that "Piper Gilles is going to GPF." (It was one of those years with unbalanced fields so they finished higher than they would have with other assignments.) The tone was disbelief that ice dance had to dig so deep to get six qualifiers....

Meaning they've really exceeded expectations, when Paul picked Piper it was similar to Flores picking Jepson this year, like "that's the best s/he could do?" It's also worth noticing that the Russian winners the year before all disappeared with no mark at all on the senior scene, we forget how many ice dance teams that look promising as juniors just quietly fall by the wayside.

So kudos to Piper and Paul for longevity, determination and some really interesting programs along the way. They shouldn't taint their legacy with the public whining entitlement to an Oly medal.

 

[Marta24]

I am personally already over this season. Watching the RDs feels like walking through mud, most FDs are boring and repetitive. And if that wasn't enough, both Czech teams are being dumped. Are the judges aware that Worlds are in Prague this season? I'm still waiting for their bonus points to kick in

I hope the first rumors about any upcoming changes for the RD and FD technical requirements will start soon.

 

[just tuned in]

They seem to be getting a lot of support online from fans, which is probably encouraging them. But still, they really, really should not be doing this.

Agree about the Hitchcock program -- that would have been perfect to bring back!

I hate the last lift, where Paul's curly head comes up between Piper's legs at her crotch. Can they try to do the lift with Piper facing the other way?

 

[Sonata]

I am completely turned off by Piper’s online troll behaviour. I have been harping about Lilah Fear’s lack of extension for years, but she’d never lower herself to being a social media troll. If anything, she and Lewis have worked harder than ever these last few years. Piper could be working on her expression, her speed, picked a better program for Olympics and not almost fallen at Skate Canada. P/P were rather comfortably the bronze medal favourites with a slim chance for higher if others ahead of them faltered. I felt a bit bad for them as they are now on the bubble after 4 years being ahead and her personal battle against ovarian cancer. But I’m very turned off by this unprofessional behaviour. I’m cringing at how the Canadian media will portray them as victims of judging.

 

[yurokis40]

they deserve to be on the olympic podium laurence fournier is overated as an ice dancer and it wasn`t the first time she fell at a major event it always seems to be the skirt. I feel both Piper and Marjorie were better than her in Canada and lets not forget her major twizzle error at her last worlds in Canada. Putting someone like Lilah fear on an olympic poduim would disprove the theory that Bourne and Kraatz weren`t robbed back in the day people were saying they were not good enough for an olympic medal.

 

[PRlady]

Yeah, and Americans electing Trump president proves that Abraham Lincoln was overrated.

B/K were the worst sore losers of their era, I don't think that's a label Piper and Paul want to inherit.

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

Ugh, I think it's fine and worthwhile for the ice dancers to speak up about problematic rules and inconsistent judging/technical calling in general. But making it personal with the "we wuz robbed" and the other teams sucks" and "so & so has the judges" is bad sportsmanship and disrespectful all round. There are legit reasons what some of established teams aren't getting the scores/results they'd like. And sometimes the faults are in not in the stars but in ourselves.

 

[her grace]

What I don’t understand is why they’re torpedoing their Olympic chances when they only lost by a tiny margin. The whining makes it sound like they’re giving up instead of working hard, making necessary changes, and giving it their all at the Olympics. They still had a chance—maybe not anymore after this public PR campaign.

G/F, OTOH were thrown so far under the bus that I cannot blame them for thinking there is no hope.

 

[marbri]

My wish was that if they were going to reimagine Vincent it would have been to the Loving Vincent soundtrack with the angst they showed in Wuthering Heights. That is what I imagined when they announced their reimagining.

Now I still think it's a charming FD and still has potential. But I would have loved to see them attempt the above.

I know their reasons for choosing this program and I can believe them. But I also wonder if there were other ideas and they ran into music rights issues. Because I just feel like that one issue has a lot to do with a really lacklustre Olympic season for many teams.

I also think that G/P and FB/C had valid points in Finland and it was good to hear teams of that level speaking out. But that was tech panel related issues. They got praise from fans, skaters and others for speaking up.

Unfortunately GPF are judging panel issues and those are trickier to approach and speak out about and unfortunately with the quick turnaround it doesn't seem to have given them enough time for pause to think about what they should and shouldn't be saying because it's moved now from what I think were very valid criticisms in Finland to a more grey area.

I also blame Carol Lane for being a shitty coach. Yeah, I said it. Because she started that whole Costco of ice dance bs and clearly influences her skaters to think that way, and believe they need to rage against the machine when some of these missteps are down to her inadequate guidance. It wassn't long ago you pushed out what, for me, was one of the most memorable FDs this past quad (Wuthering Heights). A FD that beat C/B FD 133 to 132. Last year you came close but in reverse 132 to their 133. Instead of blaming Montreal look at yourself to see what you can improve on Carol. For the love of god if you really care about these two skaters talk to someone outside your training centre and ask their opinions instead

eta... I also put Barbara, Charlene and Marco in the same boat.

 

[her grace]

B/K were the worst sore losers of their era, I don't think that's a label Piper and Paul want to inherit.

Did B/K make public statements about the judging? It’s so long ago that I don’t remember. I know commentators and journalists said a lot of stuff. Were B/K and/or their coaches driving that or was it outrage on their behalf?

 

[Andrea82]

. And if that wasn't enough, both Czech teams are being dumped. Are the judges aware that Worlds are in Prague this season? I'm still waiting for their bonus points to kick in

It would help the Mrazeks if they wouldn't fall in one competition.... and in the next too.

 

[Marta24]

It would help the Mrazeks if they wouldn't fall in one competition.... and in the next too.

Good point

 

[Belsornia]

Mrazeks need a coaching change (though to where I'm not sure). Taschlers need time to adjust to their coaching change.

 

[Marta24]

Mrazeks need a coaching change (though to where I'm not sure). Taschlers need time to adjust to their coaching change.

I would like to see them with Sara and Kirill in Madrid. I think they are very talented coaches and I would like to see what they could do with a team that has the basics but really needs more polish and better packaging.

 

[Vagabond]

Did B/K make public statements about the judging? It’s so long ago that I don’t remember. I know commentators and journalists said a lot of stuff. Were B/K and/or their coaches driving that or was it outrage on their behalf?

Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz spoke up a lot about bloc-judging, and the media lapped it up. They were at least partly vindicated when Yuri Balkov's skullduggery was exposed, and they did go on to win a World Championship. I have no idea what any of their coaches had to say, but I do wonder what thought of the whole thing.

 

[tony]

Did B/K make public statements about the judging? It’s so long ago that I don’t remember. I know commentators and journalists said a lot of stuff. Were B/K and/or their coaches driving that or was it outrage on their behalf?

Why do I feel like I have to share this every time someone asks? Yes, they whined constantly.

- YouTube

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See above where Shae and Natalia Dubova just are beside themselves with the scores, but it was this entire competition in general that Lifetime ate up their whining.

- YouTube

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[Theatregirl1122]

I don’t particularly enjoy F/G. I don’t want them to medal at the Olympics. I don’t like that it feels like ice dance scoring is basically pushing in the direction of what they are good at instead of actually skating.

But honestly, at least they showed up this year with new material that actually plays to their strengths. That should be the bare minimum. I don’t know why so many other teams couldn’t do that.

I have always been a fan of Piper and Paul and really wanted them to medal at the Olympics, but this sore loser act is changing my mind.

I don’t feel that bad for G/F. They have consistently refused to make suggested improvements and never show up with programs that suit them.

 

[Habs]

Why do I feel like I have to share this every time someone asks? Yes, they whined constantly.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

See above where Shae and Natalia Dubova just are beside themselves with the scores, but it was this entire competition in general that Lifetime ate up their whining.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

www.youtube.com

I actually remember their comments being worse than that!